Apparatus for application of powdered disinfectants



Jul 19 1927.

y w. B. SMITH APPARATUS FOR APPLICATION OF POWDERED DISINFECTANTS FiledApril 22. 1922 Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BLACKBURN SMITH, F HAMILTON PARISH, BERMUDA, ASSIGNOB TO.HERBEBT HICE WHETZEL, OF ITHACA, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR APPLICATION OF POWDERED DISINFECTANTS.

Application filed April 22, 1982. Serial No. 555,988.

My invention is an improvement in methods and apparatus for dustinggrowing plants with powder. In the application of powder to growingplants, for the destruction of the noxious insects or their eggs orlarvae whether to kill by direct action, or by poisoning through feedingon the plant, it is essential, in order to obtain the best results, thatevery treated portion of the plant be subjected to the uniform action ofthe powder. When the action of the powder is direct, it is essentialthat the atmosphere closely adjacent to the plant be permeatedthroughout every part thereof with the particles, and when the action isindirect, a deposit of the particles must be left on every treatedportion of the foliage and plant. If the application is not uniform, theprocess will not be economical and the action of the insecticide willnot be thorough. A part of the insects will be left to propagate andform new colonies. In devices of the character heretofore in use, thepowder to be applied is held in a container, and is fed into a currentof fluid under pressure, as for instance compressed air, by which it isblown upon the plant to be treated. Even with dr powder, the particlestend to mass and to a here, and

owder thrown in this manner is applied in amps and patches, some partsof the plant being covered too thickly, while others are bare orinsufliciently covered. With powders which act directly, the movingcurrent is not uniformly permeated by the particles.

85 Pockets occur which are devoid of particles,

and the effect of the dusting is disafppointing. It is relatively easyto apply a uid, as

for instance air under pressure, to every portion of the plant, and ifthe fluid is permeated throughout with particles of a powder insuspension, it will be obvious that wherever the current impinges on theplant, a deposit of the particles will be left, and the atmosphereimmediately adjacent will be uniformly filled with the particles. In thepresent invention, I provide a device having means for feeding a streamof powder into successive currents of fluid under pressure, moving atdifferent speeds, thereby to convert the. stream of powder into a cloudor nebula, wherein all of the particles are, as

. nearly as possible segregated, and the cur rent of fluid underressure, in which the particles are suspen ed is uniformly permeatedthroughout its extent with the particles.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved machine,

Figure 2 is a vertical section,

F1gure 3 is a detail section of a form of dlstributing nozzle.

One 0f the principal objects of applicants invention 1s to overcome theclogging of mechanical feeding devicesand like auxil- 1ary mechanismsroduced by the sticking of the powder or ust to these mechanisms, suchas the device disclosed and claimed in U. S. Patent No. 1,188,127.

In the present embodiment of the invention a suitable casing isprovided, the said casing in the present instance comprising asubstantially cylindrical portion 1, and a substantially conical portion2, and the large end or base of the casing is closed by a head 3 havinga suitable feed opening normally closed by a cover 4:. A hollow shaft 5is held at the axis of the casing, by means of a packlng nut 6 withwhich the shaft has threaded engagement, and the shaft is provided witha handle 7, by means of which it may be turned, to adjust it for apurpose to e presently described. At the small end of the casing anelbow 8 is arranged. The elbow has at one end a funnel sha ed portion 9for receiving the small end 0 the easmg, and the casing is securedthereto in any suitable or desired manner. The lower end of the shaft 5is externally beveled, as shown in Figure 2, and this beveled end 30cooperates with the flaring or funnel shaped portion 9 of the nozzle asa valve, to regulate the feed of the dusting powder, which is held inthe casing, to the nozzle. By moving the shaft up or down, that is fromand toward the nozzle, the rate of feed may be increased or diminished.The casing is provided with a pipe or nipple 10 abovethe level of thepowder, which may be connected, by means of a flexible hose or the like,to a suitable source of supply forfluid under pressure, either areservoir or compressor; The outer end of the hollow shaft is open tothe atmosphere, and an elbow 11 transmits the pressure in the casing 12,to the "interior of the hollow shaft 5.. .The delivery end, of the anozzle is at the axis of the shaft, and the nozzle discharges toward theelbow 8.. In

use the casing is filled with powder to about the junction between thecyllndrical and tapering portions, and a sleeve or shell 12 encirclesthe shaft in spaced relation, and

extends from just above the lower end of the hollow shaft to well abovethe level of the top of the powder in the casing. This sleeve or shelltransmits the ressure in the casing above the powder to ust above theoint where the powder feeds from the casm to the nozzle, and thepressure transmitted through the sleeve feeds the powder into the elbow,which constitutes a feed and transforming chamber.

The elbow 8, which is a discharge nozzle for the cloud, has a nipple 13,whose axis is coincident with the discharge end of the el bow, and avalve casing 14 has threaded engagement with the nozzle. This casing hasa tapering discharge or outlet end 15 within the elbow, and at the axisthereof, and the valve casing has a lateral nipple 33 with which isconnected a pipe 16. This pipe 16 extends through an opening in thetapering portion of the casing 1, 2, to a point above the level of thepowder, that is to a point adjacent to the'nozzle 11, so that thepressure in the casing is transmitted through the valve casing 14 to thedischarge end of the elbow. A needle valve 17 is arrangedwithin thevalve casing, the valve having threaded engagement with a nut 18 held inthe casing, and a packing nut 19 is arranged outside the nut 18. Byturning the valve in the proper direction, the discharge of fluid underpressure through the valve casing may be varied. The improved dustingmachine might be transported in any suitable manner, as for instance itmay be provided with a handle for carryin the same, and may be connectedby a long iose to a source of fluid under pressure to permit theoperator to move from plant to plant without moving the source. Or itmight be mounted on a carriage with the source of fluid under pressuresupply. The machine operates in the following manner. Through theannular opening between the hollow shaft 5 and the element 9, an annularstream of powder mixed or impregnated with compressed gas, feeds. Thefeed is made uniform among other means by the pressure on the top of thepowder mass, and when the stream passes below the lower end of thesleeve 12, it is subjected to the action of a current of small volumemoving at a relatively high speed. As the stream feeds on be and the endof the shaft 5, the powder alrea y mixed with the air current throughthe sleeve or shell 12' is subjected to the action of a second stream oflarge volume and lower pressure, moving at a relatively slow speed. Thepowder and admixed air, already fairly agitated is transformed into acloud, the individual particles of the powder being as nearly asvpossible segregated from each other, and being carried in suspension onthe movin air current which is delivered throug the outlet end of theelbow. Every part of this air current is permeated with the powderparticles, the current being-in effect a nebula or cloud of powderparticles. It will be obvious that when the stream of fluidunderzpressure laden with the powder particlesis directed onto theplant, every part thereof will receive a deposit of the powder, and theatmosphere immediately adjacent to the plant will be filled andpermeated with the powder particles, so that no part of the plantescapes the action of the powder. An suitable director for the streammay e provided, or it may be directed directly from the discharge endofthe elbow 8. In Figure 3 a preferable form of directing nozzle is shown.This nozzle is of conical shape, consisting of inner and outerconcentric conical walls 20 and 21, arranged in spaced .relation andconnected at the large ends of the walls. The outer wall 21 has a nip le22, which may be connected with the disc iarge end of the elbow, and theinner wall 20 is provided with openings 34 as shown, through which thepowder cloud is discharged. With this nozzle a cone sliaped cloud may bedischarged upon the p ant.

It will be evident from the description that thepowder is fed from thecasing to the feed chamber 8 by a current of gas under pressure, ofrelatively small volume and high velocity, namely the annular streamthrough the shell, and that in the feed chamber it is subjected to theaction of a stream of gas of relatively large volume and low velocityand relatively lower pressure, namely that through the hollow shaft.These streams cooperate to break up the aggregation of particles ofpowder, and to transform the 7 particles into a cloud which isdischarged by the ejector 15. The ejector provides a current ofrelatively small volume and high velocity. Throughout its passage fromthe container to the plant, the powder is subjected to the action of gascurrents of different volume and different velocity and of differentpressure, thereby to thoroughly break up particle aggregations to form acloud or nebula. The current moving through the hollow shaft is large involume and relatively low in pressure, because the shaft is open to theatmosphere at its inlet end, but the velocity is low, lower than thevelocity of the currents through the shell or through the ejector.

I claim:

1. A device of the character specified comprising a casin having a feedchamber, and an ejector or discharging the owder from the feedchamber,means for eeding the powder in a re ulated stream from the container tothe fee chamber, and means for directin a current of fluid underpressure of relatively large volume and low velocity upon the stream asit leaves the container, to

break up aggre ations of particles and transform the pow discharge bytheejector.

2. 'A device of the character specified, comprising a closed casinghaving a feed chamber to which the casing delivers, means for feeding aregulated stream of powder from the casing to the feed chamber andcontrolledby a current of fluid under pressure of relatively smallvolume and high velocity, means for sub'ecting the powder as it is fedinto the chem er to the action of a current of fluid under pressure ofrelatively large volume and low velocit thereby to break up aggregationsof partic es and to transform the powder into a cloud, and an ejectorfor gischarging the powder from the feed cham- 3. A device of thecharacter specified,comprising a closed casing havin a ho per outet, anda feed chamber to w ich t e outlet delivers, means for sup lying fluidunder ressure to the casing" a ove the powder, a hollow shaftcooperating at its inner end with the hopper outlet to control the feedof the powder to the chamber, the outer end of the shaft being open tothe atmos here, a nozzle connecting the shaft with t e interior of thecasing for directing a stream of fluid under pressure toward the outlet,a shell encircling the sleeve in s ced rela tion and extending fromabove t e powder to near the lower end of the sleeve to direct anannular stream of fluid under pressure onto the powder feeding into thefeed chamer into a cloud prior to its her, and an ejector connected withthe interior of the casing above the powder for gscharging the powderfrom the feed chamand means for directing a current of fluid underpressure of relatively large volume and low velocity u n the stream asit leaves the container, to real: u aggre tions of particles andtransform t pow er into a cloud prior to its discharge by the ejector.

5. A device of the character specified, comrising a closed casing havinga feed chamher to which the casing delivers, means for feeding aregulated stream of powder from the casing to the feed chamber andcontrolled by a current of fluid under p, of relatively small volume andhigh velocity means for sub'ect-ing the powder as it is f into the chemr to the action of a current of fluid of relativel large volume and lowvelocity, thereby to reak up aggregation of 7.

particles and to transform the wder into a cloud, and an ejector fordisc arging the powder from the feed chamben In testimony whereof Iailix my signature.

WILLIAM BLACKBURN SMITH.

